Long Time Coming
by TessaStarDean
Summary: EricCalleigh, with a smidgeon of RyanNatalia. Ryan has finally had enough and has a chat with Calleigh.


"See you guys tomorrow," Eric said as he headed towards his car.

Ryan and Calleigh smiled and waved as they continued on to their own vehicles, further down the lot. The day was bright and warm, unlike the storm that had hit them unexpectedly the day before. Despite the gruesomeness of their jobs, they had all enjoyed being outdoors that afternoon.

As they neared Calleigh's car, Ryan slowed down, not quite ready to leave her yet. She reached into her purse to look for her keys, and he rested a gentle hand on her arm, waiting for her to look up at him.

"Hey…can I talk to you for a minute?"

She smiled. "Of course. What's up?"

Ryan looked down at the ground, suddenly unsure of how to say what was on his mind. But as he looked up and saw Eric's car driving off into the distance, he knew that he couldn't back down now.

"You're killing him, you know," he said quietly, his eyes finally meeting hers.

Calleigh's smile vanished. "Excuse me?"

"Eric. You're killing him."

"I…don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.

"Yes you do."

"Ryan –"

"Look, Calleigh. We all know how you feel about him. It's obvious in the way you look at him. But you're still with Jake. That doesn't make any sense."

"My personal life is none of your concern –"

"Why can't you just tell him you love him?"

She stopped at that, turning her head and looking off into the distance, in the direction that Eric had gone. Biting her bottom lip, she struggled to keep her emotions in check, not wanting Ryan to see that he had gotten to her. Finally, after a few steadying breaths, she turned her face to his again.

"Mind your business, Ryan," she snapped.

Then she turned and got into her car, slamming the door shut as she turned the key and drove off.

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Ryan groaned as the pounding continued. He knew that if it was work related, someone would have called his cell phone, so he couldn't figure out why someone would be knocking on his door at almost one in the morning. Groaning again, he rolled out of bed and headed to the door.

"Calleigh?" he asked when he found her standing in the hallway.

"I never meant to hurt him."

Ryan's eyes softened as he saw the confusion and fear on her face. "I know," he said quietly. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are."

"How…" She swallowed hard before continuing. "How do I fix it?"

"You talk to him. You tell him how you feel."

"I can't lose him, Ryan," she whispered, the tears almost choking her. "If this doesn't work out, or if I'm too late and he doesn't feel that way anymore…"

"Calleigh, if something doesn't change soon, you'll lose him anyway. So you have two choices. You can tell him how you feel and have a damn good shot at happiness, or you can keep dating guys like Jake until Eric just walks away."

She gave him a wry smile. "I guess once in awhile we all need someone to tell us we're being stupid, huh?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. I'd be having this talk with Eric if it weren't for the fact that you're with Jake. Convincing a guy to go after a girl who already has a boyfriend isn't exactly my style."

"I'm not seeing Jake anymore."

He smiled. "Oh really?"

Calleigh shrugged. "You were right. It made no sense. He actually wasn't that surprised."

"That's because anybody with eyes can see how you feel about Delko."

"Does he?"

"Does who what?"

"Eric. Does he know?"

"Sometimes he thinks you might feel the same. But then you're with someone else, or you're pulling away. He needs to hear it from you. You need to stop running, Calleigh."

She nodded. "I know. I'm going to try."

"Good." He looked at his watch. "Do you want to come in? Have a cup of coffee or something?"

Smiling, she shook her head. "No thank you. I think I need to go see Eric."

"At one in the morning?"

"You think I should wait?"

Ryan thought about it for a minute. "No, you're right. Go wake his ass up. And tell him he can thank me later."

"Will do. Good night, Ryan." She turned to walk away, but seemed to remember something and turned back. "And thank you."

"You're welcome," he said with a sincere smile before closing the door.

Thanking God that his friends were finally going to be happy, Ryan headed back to his room. Crawling into bed again, he wrapped his arms around Natalia as she stretched and turned over so that she could rest her head on his chest.

"Who was that?" she asked sleepily.

"Calleigh."

She frowned, lifting her head to look at him. "What did she want?"

"She needed some advice about Eric."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she's going to go tell him how she feels."

"Right now?" Natalia asked.

Ryan nodded, smiling. "Right now."

Snuggling back against him, she nodded firmly. "About damn time."

"My thoughts exactly," he murmured, kissing the top of her head and closing his eyes.

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Eric stumbled to his door with his eyes half-closed, quietly cursing whoever was knocking on his door so insistently. He knew that it was after midnight, and that he had been sleeping deeply before being so rudely interrupted. Resting his hands on either side of the door, he leaned forward and looked through the peep hole. When he saw who was outside, he frowned and opened the door quickly.

"Calleigh?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I…"

"Calleigh? Are you okay?"

She looked around, obviously uncomfortable. The worry began to slip away from Eric as confusion took it's place. Finally, her eyes met his.

"I'm not very good at this."

"Good at what?"

"At…" Staring at him, she once again lost whatever she was going to say. "Oh, the hell with it," she whispered.

Calleigh took a step forward, taking Eric's face in her hands and bringing his lips down to hers. He returned the kiss immediately, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her body against his. She sighed at how right it felt, at what a long time coming it had been. Moving her mouth against his, she ran her tongue along his lips until he opened up to her, pulling her closer and drinking her in.

When they finally pulled back, both breathing heavily, Eric stared at Calleigh in surprise. She smiled back at him, running her thumb across his cheek.

"I should have done that a long time ago," she said quietly.

His mind still clouded from what had just happened, Eric tried to put his thoughts into words. "Jake…?"

"Over," she told him. Then she shrugged. "How can I be with him when I'm in love with you?"

She saw the change in his eyes immediately, his walls coming down as he let himself look at her with all the love and hope that he'd been carrying around. He tried to speak again, but everything caught in his throat. Smiling at her, he leaned in and kissed her again, holding her tightly.

"I love you too," he breathed after they had pulled back again.

"Really?" she whispered.

Eric laughed. "Come on, Calleigh. You had to have known."

She nodded. "I was just scared."

"And now?" he asked.

"Oh I'm still scared," she admitted. "But I'm more afraid of losing you than anything else. So I'm holding on with everything I've got."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I won't let you fall," he whispered.

She smiled. "I know." Kissing him again, she stepped out of his arms, arching an eyebrow when he frowned in confusion. "I am going home," she told him matter-of-factly.

"You are?"

"I am." She stepped close again, taking both his hands in hers as she leaned up to kiss him. "But I will see you tomorrow. And then you are going to take me out to dinner."

"I am?" Eric asked with a smile.

"You are."

His smile broadened as he kissed her deeply, moaning at the feel of her body against his. When they pulled back, he brought his lips to her forehead.

"Then I will see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will," Calleigh murmured, cupping his cheek. "Goodnight, Eric."

She turned and walked down the hallway of his apartment building, one hand trailing along the wall.

"Calleigh."

She heard the desperation in his voice and turned to look at him. There was hope in his eyes, but she could still see fear lingering there. Silently, she cursed herself for every making him doubt how she felt about him.

"I love you," he called.

She smiled at him. "I love you too, Eric."

Seeing the fear start to dissipate, Calleigh waved to him and continued her walk, a giddy smile on her face. Instead of losing her best friend, she had gained the world.


End file.
